Caribbean, CentAm roundup: Gas bill, power rationing, grid clearance, PPAs

Gas bill

The Bahamas’ executive branch introduced a natural gas bill to the house assembly to establish a regulatory framework for liquefied natural gas (LNG).

“Currently, LNG is being imported, used, and transported in the Bahamas, however there is no regulatory framework for this activity,” a government release quoted energy minister JoBeth Coleby-Davis as saying.

The legislation would oversee the import, regasification, shipping, transport and retailing of the fuel, and task the Utilities Regulation & Competition Authority as the regulator.

Power rationing

Costa Rica’s state power company ICE activated the procedure for the coordination of electricity rationing due to low energy reserve levels in the national grid.

“As has been reported, the effects of the current El Niño phenomenon are extreme and caused a critical decrease in the flows of hydroelectric plants in the Central American isthmus, including Costa Rica. The depletion of national reserves accelerated due to the non-compliance of the suppliers of the thermal plants that Grupo ICE rented for the dry season,” ICE said in a statement.

The company said that supply to industrial and high voltage clients as well as to hospitals and principal health centers will not be impacted.

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Grid clearance

Nicaragua’s state power transmission company Enatrel secured authorization to connect infrastructure to Central America’s transmission network.

The package comprises an increase of transformation capacity of the Acahualinca, Catarina, León I and Los Brasiles substations.

Enatrel filed the connection request with power interconnection commission CRIE in February.

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PPAs

Honduras’ state power company Enee reported that it submitted a first package of 18 addendums to congress that look to reduce the price of thermal, solar and biomass PPAs and save the state 30bn lempiras (US$1.22bn) during the contracts’ remainder.

A second package is due to be submitted at month-end.